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LAGOS, Nigeria — The international effort to rescue the 276 schoolgirls being held captive by
Islamic extremists in northeastern Nigeria was boosted yesterday when British security experts
joined the Nigerian and American forces.

Britain said its aim was not only to help with the current crisis, but also to defeat Boko
Haram.

“The team will be considering not just the recent incidents but also longer-term
counterterrorism solutions to prevent such attacks in the future and defeat Boko Haram,” the
Foreign & Commonwealth Office said in a statement yesterday.

The American team was joined by six additional military officers, and more are expected soon,
said Pentagon spokesman Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby. The U.S. officers will assess what the Nigerian
military needs that the U.S. could provide in the search for the girls, he said.

The American team also will assist in hostage negotiations, State Department spokeswoman Jen
Psaki said.

China, France and Spain also have promised help.

Demonstrations in support of the missing Nigerian girls have been held around the world, and a
social-media campaign dubbed #BringBackOurGirls continued to grow.

In New York, the U.N. Security Council hinted at sanctions against Boko Haram. In a strongly
worded statement, the council condemned an attack on Monday that killed and injured hundreds, and
demanded the immediate release of the kidnapped girls.

The weakness of the Nigerian armed forces was highlighted yesterday in a report that said the
military did not respond to warnings that Boko Haram rebels were about to attack Chibok, the town
where the young women were abducted from their school.

Nigerian security forces had four hours of notice about the April 15 attack by the rebels but
did not react because of their fear of engaging the extremists, said Amnesty International, in a
report citing multiple interviews with credible sources.

Boko Haram has killed more than 1,500 people this year. The militants, who want to impose strict
Islamic law on Nigeria, abducted more than 300 girls from a boarding school in the northeastern
town of Chibok. Fifty-three escaped, but 276 remain captive. Boko Haram’s leader has threatened to
sell the girls into slavery.